


AKA Gifted

by prec7ous



Series: AKA Nightmares and Fairytales [2]
Category: Jessica Jones (TV)
Genre: Alias Investigations, Auras - canon divergence, F/F, JJ S2 canon divergent, Netflix' Marvel series canon compliant, Part II, Rape Recovery, Takes place after The Defenders, The Order of the Delta - canon divergence, Trish Talk, Will not be canon compliant to anything Marvel puts out after Thor: Ragnarok, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2018-12-31 14:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12134364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prec7ous/pseuds/prec7ous
Summary: Part II of AKA Misdirected. Please read that first before diving into this one.This fic is compliant with Netflix' Marvel series. Regard the time gap from Part I and Part II to be the events taken place in The Defenders. This part will not be solely focused on Jessica and her perspective but also on Trish individually. Her storyline, although canon divergent, will have a tie-in with the Marvel Universe.EDIT: This fic will be Marvel canon compliant until the end of Thor: Ragnarok, minus Jessica Jones season 2.Please note: until further notice; no regular updates.





	1. AKA What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> In celebration of over 1K kudos, I give you the beginning of Part II. Unfortunately, I will not update on the regular until I have fleshed out the major points in Trish' storyline.. There's no way she can magically get to where she is in that scene I teased earlier (Closer to the Edge).
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and I hope you like it.

"You'll find someone else to drool over," Jessica says, trying very hard not to hit Malcolm in the face. He's being rather whiny, and Jessica doesn't have that much sympathy left to give.  
  
Malcolm gives himself a not so subtle one over, frustration taking over his features. "Can't really beat a bulletproof beast, now can I?" Looking away, he mutters under his breath "..Besides she couldn't even remember my name."  
  
"Alright. Yeah, I'm out," Jessica says as she starts to head for the door. When her hand reaches the doorknob, the door flings open and hits her in the head. "What the fuck! You fucking idi- Trish?"  
  
Trish stands in her doorway. She's sucking in her lips in an attempt not to laugh out loud. It's getting increasingly harder to do so, as Jessica keeps staring at her like a fish on land. Because, how can she not? Trish is in front of her. After all the shit they've been through lately, Trish still looks so carefree. She only just tuned into Trish' show an hour ago, listening to people and their conspiracies over what went on in Midland Circle.  
  
Trish had asked her the day after, whether she was sure she didn't want anyone to know that she was a hero. But Jessica was sure. It wouldn't have been right to do so. To honor Matt's memory and Daredevil's legacy, was to let it get swept under the rug. Plus, it wasn't only her doing. No matter how much she hates the word 'team,' it was a team effort and it wouldn't be right nor fair to even take a slice of the credit.  
  
But all of that, and all of the Hand's nonsense left her mind the minute Trish flashes her that shy smile. The one that isn't meant for just anyone. The one that can break through walls and make you weak in the knees.  
  
Malcolm is standing a few steps behind Jessica, to the side. He can see part of their faces and saw the whole thing play out. The fact that neither spoke yet, didn't go unnoticed. "I need to go take care of that thing I need to do," he excuses himself and worms his way past the pair that didn't only not move but most likely didn't hear him either.  
  
Trish' face turns into a smirk as she reaches out her hand slowly to touch Jessica's face. The touch makes Jessica shiver and she involuntarily closes her eyes. And then she feels it, the not so steady puff of breath before Trish' soft lips barely ghost her forehead. It isn't until she feels what Trish is doing next that she snaps her eyes open.  
  
_Wait. What? How?_  
  
Trish moves her hand to Jessica's chin and tips it upward. "You'll catch flies, Jess," Trish says as she slips into the apartment without asking. Jessica promptly turns on her heels and watches Trish sit down on top of her desk, handbag discarded on the chair Malcolm usually sits in. Her feet don't touch the floor and instead sway a little, giving away Trish' nervousness.  
  
Jessica wants to be her snarky self and make some kind of comment challenging Trish stopping by unannounced and being all royal sitting on top of her desk like that. Instead, she swallows hard. Because yeah, she wants to say that, but only because it would be easier than address the fact of why Trish is here and how she might walk out that door again and break Jessica all over. She knows that Trish put aside all her differences when she asked her to leave her meeting and take shelter at the precinct. And that they haven't had a chance to properly address the fact that they left things in the middle of a fight, or the end of a fight - depending on how you look at it. This, right now, is the first since they saw each other after all the adrenaline and worry about safety went down. Jessica's heart beats in her throat, so it seems. She can still feel the touch of Trish' lips on her forehead and it's all she wants to think about.  
  
It's safe. Safer than all other things rolling around in her mind.  
  
"Trish.." Jessica says, barely a whisper. There are questions in her mind but they are scrambled and she's unable to form anything coherent. Anything besides Trish' name.  
  
"I'm s-"  
"-How are"  
  
"Go ahead, as you came all the way down here," Jessica says. She tries to keep the hope out of her voice. Hope Trish just gave her by kissing her on the forehead. Yet, it could've also been because Jessica hit her head...  
  
Trish clears her throat while contemplating on what to say next. Everything seems so futile, so unimportant, so little in the grand scheme of things. Things consisting only of the person staring at her with so much emotion in her eyes. Like a mask that has been ripped away, like a veil that has been lifted, like... She's putting her heart on her sleeve and trusting that Trish won't crush it.  
  
It almost makes her want to grab Jessica and press her up against her body. And she knows that even that wouldn't be enough to satiate her body, her mind, her soul. She would like to believe that she would never do anything to hurt this precious woman. This carefully crafted Goddess that often thinks too little of herself. In this moment, Trish knows that whatever Jessica would ask, she would do. Trish went to Jessica's apartment to stay in control. To be the one to set all the rules. To not let emotions guide her.  
  
But who was she kidding? It was exactly that, that got her opening Jessica's door in the first place. The sense of belonging. Something was pulling her back to Jessica and she cannot even be sure if that was love or something even deeper than that. It felt like a part of her was missing. A part that was never missing before she and Jessica took that step to something more. She wondered if that part was created or whether it just wasn't discovered before then.  
  
Maybe it was deeply hidden, longing to be discovered.  
Maybe it was activated.  
Whatever it was, Trish is sure it was faith.  
  
And that's something she never really believed in. Well, only if you discard everything Jessica related. Because her coming into her life, yeah, that must've been faith, Trish believes with all her might.  
  
"I miss you," Trish says with a voice a little too high.  
  
Three words.  
  
Those aren't the best three words Trish could've said in Jessica's opinion, but they were a very good close second. She knows she has to say something back but every single word dies on her lips as the only thing she can think of is that Trish is standing in front of her. Her Trish.  
  
Can she still call this woman hers, though? Because, after everything that went down, she isn't so sure anymore..


	2. AKA Magic Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picks up where the last chapter left off.

**"I miss you."**

Time seems to defy the laws of physics as the two women gaze into each other's eyes. Thoughts are swirling around in Jessica's head, but none of the words make it past her lips. She doesn't even register that Trish' phone is ringing.

Several seconds pass in which Trish hopes that Jessica would say something, anything. When that doesn't happen, she takes the phone from her jacket pocket and looks at it – there's no caller ID. Surprise colors her features as she answers it and hears the voice on the other side.

"Yes, certainly… When?... I can make that work. OK, bye."

Trish ends the call and apologetically smiles back at Jessica who is still pretty much frozen on the spot. Trish slightly opens her mouth as she tries to think of something to say to dispel the weird vibe between them. She decides not to. She went over to Jessica's place, kissed her – albeit not where she wanted – and told her that she missed her.

And what did Jessica do?

Nothing.

In Trish' eyes, it's up to Jessica to take the next step. The more time passes, the more Trish realizes that it isn't going to happen, and it hits her like a ton of bricks. She tries to keep it together.

"I should go."

She doesn't give Jessica a chance to say something and jumps off the desk. She picks up her bag and walks off a little quicker than would be considered normal.

 

Having heard the door close, Malcolm peeks his head into Jessica's office. "Did she leave already?" He sees Jessica standing in the middle of the room, facing the desk where Trish sat only a minute ago. When she doesn't answer, he adds: "Is everything OK?"

That question snaps Jessica out of her trance and it pisses her off. "Get lost, Malcolm." When she doesn't hear retreating steps nor her door closing, she picks up an empty whiskey bottle from her desk and throws it near her front door. It has the desired effect as it makes Malcolm scurry away.

 

**

"So, how are you and Miss. Walker doing?" Nathan asks. Although Jessica never told him about their relationship, he isn't a therapist for nothing.

"Maybe you should ask her," Jessica replies dryly.

Much to her chagrin, he doesn't let up. "So, you and Trish are not on speaking terms, then?" he asks.

The calmness of that statement pisses her off. The fact that he used her first name didn't go unnoticed either. _Trying to relate to me or whatever. Go suck a dick, Nathan._

"Not really."

Nathan waits for Jessica to elaborate but the longer he waits, the surer he is that she isn't going to.

"Do you want to be? he asks.

She frowns for a split second before nodding her head without looking back at him. She knows that he's seen the gesture, so she doesn't try to also verbalize her answer.

"Maybe you should talk to her and tell her how you feel."

"What do I pay you for, again?" Jessica quips.

She really wanted to tell Trish earlier that she missed her and feels so empty without her but she froze up. Usually, she either talks or punches her way through but words and actions seemed… Not right, somehow.

"Actually, Miss. Walker pays," he says to get a rise out of her.

"Uuuugh…"

Well, at least that was some sort of reply. He decides to switch the subject entirely.

"Did you have a nightmare last night?"

She's silent for a few seconds as she tries to remember when the last time was that she slept. That pause was all that Nathan needed to hear to confirm his suspicions.

"You didn't sleep, did you?"

"Look, doc. There was some shit going on for a day or two but that's resolved now. I'll sleep later, it's no big deal."

The 'no big deal' makes Nathan almost want to roll his eyes. "I thought you quit drinking?"

_Great. Just great._

"- I can smell it on your breath."

"Like I said, there was some shit going on… And I need a swig or two to get my head in the game. I stopped."

"And what happens if more "shit" comes along? Nathan asks.

"You know, you can't just start and stop whenever you think it's suitable, right?"

"It's no big deal, man."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Ye-"

"- Does Trish?"

Silence.

  

** 

Trish follows Maya into the Common Room. There was never anyone else around, until today. She sees someone coming toward them from the opposite side of the hallway. A muscular person appears as the light from the torches illuminate their physique. At first, Trish thinks it's a man due to them being completely bald, but as they walk closer toward them and the light reflects off the outfit, Trish sees green boots and matching eyeshadow. It's quite elegant as the green brings out this woman's blue eyes.

Blue eyes that are currently fixed on her. The unknown woman raises an eyebrow as a challenge before coming to a brief stop before Trish and Maya. She turns to Maya who immediately bows her head.

"Hello, Heather."

"Maya." Heather nods at Maya and passes the pair without a word to Trish.

When Heather is out of earshot, Trish asks whether she's also a member of The Order of the Delta. Maya shakes her head. "This structure is also a refuge and shelter for anyone that seeks it throughout the universes," she says while opening the door herself. She ushers Trish inside and follows the same procedure as before.

Trish' phone vibrates once, but before she can look at it or question the plural form of 'universe' Maya used, the woman in question asks Trish a question.

"What do you see?"

That was the last thing Trish thought anyone would ever ask. As if it isn't obvious. "This is a room? There's a desk right there. Some sort of library over there," she continues to point her hands toward the objects she's describing. She then eyes the fireplace. "And that fireplace that weirdly enough seems to have no chimney at all as far as I can tell. Yet, it's lit up right now."

Maya chuckles, unable to keep the amusement from her face. "Yes, I suppose you're right. But is that all you see?"

"- How about now?" Maya continues while moving her hands around the room.

It suddenly starts to get unfocused, like what would happen if one would look at something cross-eyed. Trish blinks a few times, thinking her eyes are playing tricks on her. It's like a part of the room is becoming a translucent wall. She can see through it, but there also seems to be something else there.

Maya gestures to come closer and when she does, she gently pushes Trish though it. She startles and tries to move backward. "Wow, OK. What just happened?"

The room still looks the same. Everything looks the same, except that at the same time it also doesn't. It looks less real now; like she's in some sort of bubble.

"This is a practice area. Everything that happens here, doesn't affect the world we live in."

"So, if I kill you right now – you won't die?"

"OK. Let me rephrase that. Everything that happens to either of us, happens for real. Everything we do to this space doesn't affect the real world."

Trish tries to follow Maya's logic. She really does. She takes a few seconds to herself, mumbling and making wild hand gestures until she settles on the following.

"This is not the real world, but since I am real in the non-real world, it still affects me."

"Correct. So, tell me now Trish. Is this real?" Maya stretches one hand out while the other is hovering over it, a few inches apart. It's too faint for Trish to make out anything definitive, but she can either see green light being drawn to the space between Maya's hands, or light coming out of said space.

As Maya moves her upper hand over the space of her forearm to well over the tip of her hand, something appears. It’s a swift motion, like 'in a blink of an eye' kind of thing. Trish looks down at the object and her eyes widen in surprise. It's a wooden fighting stick which Maya promptly throws at Trish who fumbles to catch it.

"Is it real, Trish?"

She looks at the object in her hand. Maya seemingly made it out of thin air. Is it real, or is this some sort of illusion made possible because of the space she's currently in? Although on some level, Trish knows it's not real, she can feel the weight of the stick in her hand. She grips it firmly between the palm of her hand and her fingers. It's solid. She swings it hard through the air to hear whether it would make that characteristic swooshing sound – which it did. She looks back at Maya trying to figure out how this is possible. Maya is wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and there is no way that she was hiding this one-meter stick somewhere on her body.

"I.. Uh.. Yes?" She's too dumbstruck to vocalize her certainty. "So, you're a magician?"

"Magic is the word for science one doesn't understand. See it as an advanced form of apportation** through a subconscious link. This isn't a trick."

Taking a minute to digest the information she's given, she figures that in the world she lives in everything is possible.

Maya suddenly stands up straighter and cocks her head listening to something that Trish cannot hear. Squinting her eyes at something Trish cannot see. When Trish is about to speak up, Maya holds her hands up, effectively silencing her.

"Heimd-" Maya whispers before stopping midsentence.

 

"Damn, it. He's gone," she mutters under her breath.

"What is a haimd?" Trish asks her when Maya stares blankly into nothing in particular.

"It's a who, not a what," Maya replies absentmindedly as she wonders why he tried to contact her as he hadn't done that in decades.

"A ghost?" Trish inquires.

"What?" Maya wakes up from her trance. "No, he's alive. A clairvoyant who has the ability to perform pseudo-teleportations, or better said, project an avatar of himself for others to see and communicate with."

"-But enough about this. Let's put this stick to use, shall we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Apportation: the ability to undergo materialization, disappearance or teleportation of an object.
> 
> This chapter takes place during Thor: Ragnarok. Jessica is seen drinking/has bottles lying around her apartment in The Defenders, so I had to put that into the fic as well. 
> 
> Please note, this fic will be a mix of the Marvel Netflix Universe, Cinematic Universe, Comic Universe as well as some things that are entirely my own.


	3. AKA The Long Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More about the missing person's case, and Jessica & Trish finally talk - sorta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's talk about a case I started in AKA Misdirected that didn't get solved. Quick recap: missing girl named Jennifer Woods. Her dad Leon would be the prime suspect, yet there are no records of her existing thus the police cannot arrest him either (birth records are missing). His sister claims that he made her up as she has never seen the kid either. Jennifer supposedly suffers from a rare skin decease that makes her extremely allergic to sunlight (photodermatitis).
> 
> The reason why HKPD didn't investigate this case further/enough will be touched upon later. For now you'll have to do with: dad's a (perceived) drunk, and no one can confirm he even had a daughter.

"What are you working on?" Malcolm asks as he enters Jessica's apartment with a key.

She looks up from her laptop and narrows her eyes at him. "I'm gonna need my key back now that I live here again."

"You, what? He walks up to the desk but doesn't sit down. "Why? Did Trish? Are you? Is that why she left so suddenly? What did… What happened?"

"What did  _you_  do?" he adds to his rambling.

"None of your damn business." She sighs and looks back at her screen. She tries to change the subject. "I'm Googling this company that Leon used to work at."

"Who's Leon?" Malcolm asks. He quickly shakes his head a few times and makes some wild gesture to show his confusion.

"Jennifer's father? Are you even paying attention to the case?" Jessica is getting a little bit ticked off. If Malcolm can't focus, then what good is he? She can do this by herself just fine.

"Oh... I thought we were still talking about Tri- Yes. Yes, I am paying attention!" Malcolm sits down and gives her his undivided attention.

"... I called the University as a potential employer and asked about the conditions of his prior termination. Apparently, he was working on some kind of drug to improve motor responses in humans based on the DNA of animals.  
  
"A potential employer? They bought that?" Malcolm asks dumbfounded.

"Yep."

Of course, it was a little more complicated than that and she may or may not have tried to flirt with to the receptionist to get her to read some files, may or may not have made some promises and most of all, may or may not have posed as a federal agent. She was just lucky that the receptionist was fairly new at the job and didn't want to get indicted - or fired.

"He had his own lab in an off-site building which only he accessed. They found out that he brought his daughter into the lab. Apparently, he said that he did it often as it was convenient and there was no way that she could jeopardi..."

"-So, Jennifer is real then?!"

"Well, he brought someone's daughter into the lab..."

"Fair enough," Malcolm says. "How come the cops didn't get this far?"

 

**

It's been hours with Malcolm trying to figure out who Leon met with that night Jessica followed him, but to no avail. She's exhausted, doesn't really know why she took the case anymore, and just wants to...

She isn't really sure, but her eyes betray her when she closes them. Images of one certain someone flash before her and her mind keeps yelling out. She keeps telling herself that she doesn't know how to make things right, but somewhere also knows that, that is a lie. Her phone is clutched in her hand, but the screen is turned off. Images of Killgrave start to blend in along with feelings that her case is still unresolved. Her thoughts are getting progressively jumbled and overwhelming, so with every thought that lingers, she breathes out, pretending to physically, gently nudge it out of her body. It's something that Nathan taught her. He said she should use the technique when she started to notice the little signs as it would keep her from developing a full-blown panic attack.

Her mind calms down until there's only one thing left. The only thing she can't get rid of. The only thing she won't get rid of. She unlocks her phone and goes to the messaging app. That's the exact moment that her mind goes completely blank.

How typical.

After staring at the blinking cursor, she types out a quick, short message and hits the send button before she can change her mind.

She will never admit it, but she waits for a message back with the phone still clutched in her hand.

And that is also how she fell asleep that early evening.

 

**

She gets way too excited when she wakes due to a text message.

||          Claire [03.46 AM]: Jennifer Woods. Born to Leon Woods and Grant Greer. DOB: 20-11-2010. Mother died while giving birth, precise COD unknown. No further records. No hereditary information on Leon. Jennifer: photodermatitis + ACTN3 gene mutation (relevance unclear). Files checked out by unknown hospital code. Found it thrown away in a paper dumpster near archive that rarely gets used.

It's not the person she hoped for but at least it's something. Jennifer is real. But the files were disposed of very sloppily... Someone didn't want anyone to know about Jennifer...

Defeated, she turns to her other side and falls asleep again.

 

**

Jessica wakes up all groggy, ready to punch someone in the face. All that anger instantly disappears when she looks at her phone to find a message she's been waiting for since yesterday.

||          Mine [06.03 AM]: Good morning, Jess. I hope you'll have a great day. X.

The fact that Trish added a kiss made it all the better. It makes her believe she didn't ruin it all. She knows that she should do something before things get even more awkward between them. One of the first things she decides to do is clean up the few alcohol bottles that litter her place. She's glad that the bottle she threw at Malcolm was empty because cleaning that would've proved to be more of a pain in the ass than it already is. When she's all done cleaning up her apartment, she takes out her phone and texts Trish to ask her whether she can come over after work. Not waiting for a reply, she goes and takes a shower and come up with a plan.

Hours later, she receives a message back.

||          Mine [04.01 PM] Sure.

Jessica frowns at her screen. No kisses, just one word followed by proper punctuation.  _I'm fucked._

 

**

"You never did tell me what having a blue aura means," Trish says. She and Maya have been sparring for a good hour in that 'weird translucent space' as Trish calls it.

Just as Maya is about to answer, the door opens. Trish turns to look and forgets about Maya. Maya sees her chance to learn Trish a lesson, and hits her on the left arm.

"Stay focused!" Maya reprimands her as Trish yelps in pain.

"-Yeah, but..." she starts to say as she follows the other person in the room with her eyes.

"She can't see us?" Trish asks.

Maya laughs at her confusion. "Normally, I'd say definitely no. But she, however, can."

"She's very purple," Trish says a little too loud.

"Going by what I'm wearing, I'd say I'm green. What makes me purple?" Heather answers while looking at the lit fireplace.

Startled by the fact that Heather can't only see her, but also hear her, Trish starts to stutter her reply.

"I.. You.. Ehmm.. Your aura is purple. Very purple." She awkwardly clears her throat, hoping she didn't offend her as Trish can't see her face.

She does see Heather cock her head in question.

"My aura is purple to you?" Heather asks while turning around and finally facing Trish. Before Trish can answer, Heather steps through the translucent threshold and faces Maya, instead of Trish.

"There's a reason I'm training this one," Maya simply says, nodding once.

Trish is confused as to why they're speaking about her like she isn't even in the room but decides not to intervene.

"How much tea does she drink?" Heather asks.

"Barely any. One cup whenever she's here. Today she didn't yet."

"Quite remarkable. Can she control it?" Heather asks when she gazes at and around Trish.

"We haven't gotten to that part yet."

Trish starts to feel scrutinized under the gaze. "May I?" Heather asks Maya.

After a nod from Maya, Heather sticks out her hand with her palm side up. She looks at it intently, and Trish thinks that's more for her benefit than Heather's own. So, she looks at it as well. It takes but a second before something akin to a ball materializes just above Heather's hand and promptly flies toward her.

At first, she thinks she's going to get clocked by it, but it stops just short of her. It keeps floating around her, until it goes through her and it vanishes.

"You need to guard yourself against attacks," Heather simply says.

"Guard myself against magic flying balls?!" Trish says a little high pitched as she definitely felt something as the ball went through her. Or did she just imagine that?

"Well, you might be able to see my," Heather coughs, "magic flying ball, but barely any other human can. That doesn't mean they aren't flying around." She winks at Trish before walking off through the veil and out of the room, leaving Trish and Maya alone again.

Trish stares at the closed door, feeling very out of place. "I think I need a break. Can you lift this?" she asks Maya as she isn't able to walk through the barrier that seemed to be meaningless to Heather.

Instead of answering, Maya directs her hands toward the veil and moves it around. A gap appears in which Trish can see clearly through. Relieved at some sense of normalcy, she steps out of the bubble.

She immediately receives a text message from two hours ago.

||          My Hero (02.07 PM): Are you home after work? Can I come over? XX

She types out a message and tells Maya she has to leave.

 

**

Alexandra ventures into the dojo where Maya is meditating. "Have you heard about that man found dead downtown? she asks Maya.

When there's no reply, she continues. "Lincoln informed me that it was bursting with energy that wasn't the man's. He took a look around and noticed a warehouse that seemed to be the origin. We need to investigate."

"Grandmother, you know we keep a low profile..."

"-And take the risk of it happening again?" Alexandra tries to keep her composure, but Maya easily hears the strain in it.

She opens her eyes but still doesn't face her grandmother. "Let Strange handle it then."

Alexandra sighs. "As if he would even listen to me. That arrogant son of" - she coughs, trying to compose herself. She takes a slow deep breath and holds it for a few seconds. "Would you allow me to go look?" she asks instead.

Maya ponders on it for a few seconds before responding. "You know what? No. I have a better idea. I will personally take care of it, OK?"

"Thank you," Alexandra says, content with the outcome.

 

**

Jessica is standing in front of Trish' door, but somehow can't find it in her to knock. There's sweat everywhere, she thinks. She can hear her heart racing in her ears and it's deafening to say the least. She looks at the single red rose in her hand to draw strength from it – or something. It's silly, it's stupid. It's cheesy as hell. Maybe the rose was a bad idea after all.

The door suddenly opens. "I thought I heard something," Trish says with a certain look on her face. A look that Jessica can't decipher in her current state of mind. Jessica's mouth opens but no words come out. Trish seems to be patiently waiting for Jessica to speak.

"I love you." Jessica pauses. "Shit. I mean… This, this is for you." Jessica holds out the rose and presents it to Trish who doesn't even look at it. _So much for handling that awkwardness, Jones._

The blonde in front of her is frowning and looking at her hand. When Jessica follows her line of sight, she sees blood leaking down her hand. She was previously gripping the flower so hard that the thorns broke the skin.

"I… Sorry," Jessica says in a small voice. There's no way she can give Trish a bloody flower. A literal bloody flower, that is. Her shoulders droop down, and she wants to be anywhere _but_ here. Anywhere _that's_ here. Confliction at its core again.

"Come," Trish says, prying the flower out of Jessica's hand. She guides Jessica to the sink and washes her hand for her. The cuts aren't deep, and even a bandage isn't needed. She gives Jessica a towel to dry her hands and moves back slightly to sit on one of the barstools.

Surging forward, Jessica captures Trish' lips in a sudden, hard kiss. It's less of a kiss and more of a harsh pushing of lips together. It's not what Jessica intended to do... Who is she kidding, she doesn't even know what her intentions were. Everything is going wrong today. How difficult is it to just talk?  _Trish isn't kissing back. Trish isn't kissing back._  
  
"I.."

Trish pushes Jessica slightly away at the sternum. "You don't get to kiss me without my permission."

She seems mad, and Jessica can't handle it. Her heart is racing for completely other reasons now and her vision blurs. Whether it's from tears or something else, she isn't sure. She can barely make out that Trish is still talking to her. She's so mad at herself for not being able to control herself. She either says or do nothing, or says nothing and does the wrong things. She's so mad at herself for being so damn useless when it comes to all these feelings rushing back.

Her hands are clutched into fists and her jaws are set. She vaguely sees Trish come closer with something akin to concern edged on her face. It's wrong, oh so wrong.

Jessica takes a step backward, and another. And another. Until her back is against the kitchen wall. She isn't scared of Trish. Is she?

Trish gently reaches out to her with her hand.  _No. No. No. No._  Jessica slaps away her arm and pushes Trish against the wall instead. She doesn't even know why she did that. It was like a reflex. She just treated Trish like the enemy.

Trish' eyes widen in reply and Jessica thinks Trish is afraid of her.  _She should be._

Jessica breathes hard and fast. It feels like she had just run a marathon. She's conflicted as her feelings don't match her actions. When she finally notices how hard she's pinning Trish against the wall, she takes her hands off in an instant. She holds up her hands, and looks at it, wondering how they could betray her again and touch Trish like that _again_.

She keeps walking backward and falls over the couch. She's scared for what Trish is going to say or do and intents to make a run for it, but that's when she hears it cutting though her hazy thoughts.

"Don't you dare walk out on me, Jones," Trish yells when she sees Jessica all panicky, eyes flitting everywhere, not focusing on anything.

Jessica was halfway turned toward the balcony, when she freezes on the spot. She doesn't see that Trish is looking intently at her like she's some kind of artwork. Trish' eyes flit from left to right, up and down Jessica's back.

"I love you too," she says, making Jessica turn to look at her in shock.

"What?" Jessica whispers. All negativity and adrenaline suddenly drained from her body.

Instead of repeating it, Trish rolls her eyes dramatically to make a point. "Sit down, Jess. We need to tal- communicate if we're gonna make this work."

Jessica still doesn't move, afraid to do or say the wrong thing. There's a slither of hope blossoming in her heart at what Trish just said, but she figures that can also be her stomach telling her that she needs more than alcohol in her body to function properly.

"Tell me why you wanted to see me," Trish says, while sitting down.

"Because I miss you." The answer came instantaneously. Jessica can see it was the right thing to say as Trish smiles softly at her. It makes Jessica's insides hurt so beautifully, and that's when she knows that her stomach can suck it.

"Is that all?" Trish says, her voice not revealing anything.

"No- I want to be near you. I want you in my life," Jessica says while looking down at her boots.

"But you don't respect nor love me enough to cheer me on whenever I find something that interests me?" Trish counters.

Jessica frowns at her shoes. She did think about it and she tried to educate herself on it. Still thinking it was bullshit, though. She looks up and tries to make Trish understand.

"No! I mean, yes? Trish. I got you this." Jessica takes out an MP3 player from her pocket and slides it over the coffee table into Trish' direction. "I found some podcasts and audiobooks about auras and chi manipulation," she flairs her hands dramatically like she's doing some kind of magic. "Thought you might enjoy that while traveling to and from work," she pauses, trying to be more serious again. "It was supposed to go with the flower and my apologies for my behavior that day. I wasn't trying to mock you... Just. Things I don't understand, I tend to not believe. There must be some sort of barrier between what's real and what's not."

"Jess.."

"Killgrave already blurred those lines way too much and I just couldn't handle more. So, I'm sorry."

"Jess!"

"If you can make things move without touching it, then sure. Why not." She shrugs her shoulders and looks away again.

"Babe!"

"-What?" Jessica says confused. "Did you just 'babe' me?" Jessica is slightly disgusted, but there's also something else. Something she chooses not to linger on.

"Sorry, but you were rambling. Why didn't you just, you know, lead with this. Instead of going all pervy on me?" Trish asks with a raised eyebrow and a smile she can barely keep off her face.

It is that Jessica Jones doesn't pout nor gets embarrassed because she looks the part one hundred percent.

There's one thing that Jessica wants so badly. One thing that can say so much more than words can. So, she takes a breath and asks Trish a question.

"May I kiss you?"

"Why the hell are you asking me that?" Trish says, standing up and coming closer to Jessica.

"I.. You. You just said that.. What?!" She narrows her eyes, as there must be something going on that she obviously missed. "How does that make any sense?!" She doesn't intend on raising her voice, it just happens.

She doesn't see Trish trying so hard to stop herself from laughing. "I'm sorry."

Jessica looks up, confusion and bewilderment clear on her face. "What? Why?"

"We're even now, right?" Trish says, unable to keep the mirth from shining through.

"You bitch!" Jessica says, tackling Trish to the couch. "I thought I ruined everything!" she says as she pins Trish down, who is laughing so hard that her belly hurts.

"My stomach! My stomach!" Trish tries to say in between laughs. "Stop. Please."

But it only serves to give Jessica the idea to tickle her.

"Mercy!" Trish yells.

Jessica doesn't know how Trish went from giving up, to being the one on top. There's a split second of panic in Jessica's mind before she sees Trish dipping her head down.

The moment their lips touch is like describing heaven.

Impossible.

It's everything Jessica was missing and so much more. It's like coming home again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are quite a few scenes in this chapter and some are simultaneously happening. I hope you all could follow along, if it was too messy, please let me know. I'm still learning how to do this. If you have any ideas on how to improve, don't hesitate to drop a comment.

**Author's Note:**

> I would **love to hear** what you guys think. The good, the bad - and everything in between..  
>  Thanks for reading!


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